Days 12 -16: Thai Red Curry with Ground Turkey

As you've all heard by now, something tragic happened at the Boston Marathon.  I am still shocked and have been very disturbed by it.  Before I actually get on my soap box about this topic, let me go ahead and move on to my Whole30 experience so far (and another recipe).

Over the weekend, I was in Austin, TX for a few reasons: to celebrate a friend's birthday, to hang out with a girlfriend of mine, and to run the Austin 10/20.  What's the Austin 10/20? I'm glad you asked! It's a 10 mile race with 20 bands - very similar to the Rock n' Roll half/full marathon series.  This past race was the second race for Austin 10/20 and they are going to try and start a series.  There's a race coming up next year in San Diego, California for their 10/20.  Pretty awesome!

I think being on Whole30 affected my race in a not so pleasant way.  First, I was a good minute slower than usual and second, I injured myself.  Now, I did contribute to the injury by running cold - meaning, I did not warm-up nor did I go out for any runs the week leading up to the race.  However, I did hit a wall and was not able to get out from it.  I was really disappointed with my time.  What I didn't do, and I knew I should have, was go on the Whole30 forum for athletes.  On there, many people have posted about what to eat the day before, day of, and during the race.  I messed up in so many ways...

First, I didn't have a carb-heavy meal the day before.  I actually went to a vegetarian restaurant because my girlfriend wanted to try it out.  I'll be honest, a salad to me is not a meal at all.  I need and want protein with every meal and that didn't happen on this trip (not an issue, I'll mark it as a learning how to eat away from home).  I even bought 2 bags of plantain chips (they're compliant) and that wasn't helpful either.

Second, 2 hours before the race I had a burger patty with an egg and mixed fruits.  For some reason, I felt my burger at about mile 7 and it was not comfortable.  Honestly, I wouldn't have had a burger patty before a race, but I was away from home and didn't want to be bothersome to my friend so I brought that patty from home (it was easy to nuke in the morning!).  Anyway, it was a mistake and now I think I know better and will be testing  out some pre-race breakfast items.

Third, (and I've mentioned this earlier)... I did not run at all the week leading up to the race.   Not the best idea when you're suppose to be training properly (and I obviously did not).  No worries, I am seeing a physical therapist this Friday and hopefully it's nothing bad.

Okay, I promised ya'll a recipe and here it is:

Thai Red Curry with Ground Turkey:

• 1 lb of ground turkey (or your preferred choice of protein)
• 1 tsp of coconut oil
• 1 cup of carrots, diced
• 1/2 an onion, sliced 
• 1 - 2 tbsp of red curry paste (I use Thai Kitchen)
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 1 tsp of ground ginger 
• 1 tsp of fish sauce (I use Red Boat)
• 1 tsp of coconut amino 
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp of red crushed peppers (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat a large sauce pan over medium-high heat.
2. Add oil and brown the ground meat (add salt and pepper for more flavors to your meat).  Remove the meat once it's browned.
3. In the same pan, add the coconut milk and curry paste and stir together.  Throw in the onions and carrots.  Cook for about 5 minutes and stir occasionally. 
4. Then add the ground ginger, coconut amino, fish sauce, and meat.
5. Serve over cauliflower rice (with red pepper flakes if you like it spicy) and enjoy!

Anju - Calgary, Canada

Recently, I traveled far, far away to... Calgary, Canada and found a Korean "tapas" restaurant called Anju.  Okay, fine... I didn't find it... my boyfriend did, but who's keeping score!  Anyways, we ventured over here because my boyfriend had heard good things about this place from his coworkers.  To be honest, I was somewhat skeptical because the food there (in Calgary) wasn't that great.  However, I have to admit that this was the first place I've eaten there that made me happy and satisfied. 


Since this place is a "tapas" place, we ordered a few items.  First off, we had the AAA Short Ribs with Sweet Soy Marinade and Potato.  This dish was DELISH!  The short ribs were marinaded in this heavenly sauce and it was very flavorful.  The potatoes that came with this dish was cooked perfectly as well. 


However, the potatoes that came with the short ribs were in no comparison to their Truffle Yam Fries with Gochugaru Sauce Aioli.  OMG!  The sauce was AMAZING! (and spicy).  The fried sweet potatoes were simply the best I'd ever had!  This place was not kidding when they say they have the best sweet potato fries!  ::sigh:: yes... I'm craving for them now....



We also ordered their Chicken Stone Bowl.  Basically this is a rice dish topped with diced chicken, red bell peppers, soy beans, zucchini, and a lightly poached egg.  The bowl was really made of stone and I believe the rice was cooked in it.  The stone bowl was crazy hot (so be careful!). I didn't like the fact that the server failed to mention how hot the dish was, so it was a joy when I tried to move the bowl.  The idea of this dish... you mix together all the toppings with the egg and the egg gets cooked while its being mixed.  It also comes with a side of chili paste.  We used more than half that container (the hot sauce is right next to the bowl in the picture) and the dish still wasn't spicy.  I'd have to say that this isn't a dish you'd want to try here  because it wasn't that great.  My boyfriend wasn't impressed with it (and he LOVES rice).  Honestly, I've had better rice stone bowls from the Korean market in Houston (and its way cheaper there as well- I'll blog about it soon, no worries!). 


We also ordered their Seasonal Vegetable, which was bok choy.  It was cooked with kimchi and fermented tofu paste (I know it doesn't sound good, but it was).  I'd have to say I enjoyed the veggie more than the rice bowl.


Now, when you go to Canada, you must try their Caesar!  It's basically a Bloody Mary but made with clamata juice instead of V8.  Now, I don't know what the deal was, but the drink is AMAZING.  The glass is also rimmed with salt and pepper and super SPICY!  For those of you who know how much I drink (please sense sarcasm)... I can down these baby faster than my boyfriend and can have at least 2 within an hour.  It was just THAT good!  Anyways... we tried Anju's Kimchi Caesar and it was pretty good.  I prefer a "regular" Caesar, but this wasn't bad either.  My boyfriend, on the other hand, hated it.  He didn't like the kimchi mixed with it (and you do get pieces of kimchi in the drink).


Overall, I liked this place.  The restaurant is located in a two story house.  You could walk right past it if you're not looking for it.  The place was also very small.  There weren't a lot of tables/seating.  The upstairs had a bar and what looks to be a lounge area.  This place is definitely worth trying out if you're ever in Calgary, Canada.

Convey Sushi... yum yum!

 A sushi conveyor belt in downtown Houston... say what?!  

Anyways, this place was fabulous!  I went there for lunch AND dinner on the same day... yup, you heard me... same day (and it was worth it too!)!  During lunch, this place serves everything on the conveyor belt for $3.  I walked out with a $13 tab and that included tip!  Anyways, the fish was fresh and the rolls they had out were tasty and delish.  I tried their gyozas and it wasn't bad either (have to be honest tho, there were 3 pieces of gyozas and it was not that crispy since its been circling around the belt).  They also had katsu (fried pork cutlet) and it was fantastic (crispy and tasty)!  The only complaint I have is that most of their rolls during lunch were california rolls dressed up.  

For dinner... what I LOVE about this place is how you can order what you want on the conveyor belt.  Yup, that's right! You can "customize" your experience with rolls you like!  The server explained that since it's usually not busy during dinner, the sushi chef lets the customer choose what sushi rolls they'd like and he'll make them for the belt price.  Now, this is a great idea to just sample random sushi rolls you've been dying to try (but haven't worked up the courage to).  

The most expensive plate for dinner was $4.50.  For two people, the tab was $55!!!  And trust me... I was STUFFED!  My favorite rolls there were the Red Moon and the Congress roll.  And... on Fridays, its all day happy hour!


Now, don't come here with high expectations with service.  Our server kept forgetting our order and she also was not familiar with the menu.  I asked her about a specific roll and she couldn't answer me... luckily she was pretty.  Anyways, its a mom and pops restaurant, which is a plus in my books!  I should be back there sometime soon for dinner because I'd like to try all the rolls on their menu.  

Sushi King for a "princess"

My sister apparently has never been to Sushi King, so for her birthday I took her there to celebrate. Just to let you know... Sushi King is one of my favorite "high end" sushi restaurant.The food here is savory and mouth-watering. The staff definitely matches the ambiance of this place as well.

Since its my sister's birthday, I "popped" a bottle of sparkling sake. We had the Stars Kizakura Pure. This sake was fabulous! It was light, sweet, and bubbly! My sister and I polished it off by the time dessert came around.

For appetizers, wehad the Beef Ishiyaki. Omg...just typing that out is making my mouth water. This lovely (and fun) appetizer is cooked on a hot stone at your table! You get a plate of thinly sliced certified Angus beef (raw of course) and marinade. It was my first experience with Ishiyaki, so our server cooked half of it for us. The smell of the beef being seared over the stone was amazing! What's great was, it tastes just like it smells... AWESOME! This is definitely an experience one ought to try when you visit Sushi King.

For our entree, my sister ordered their Sapporo Rib Eye. This dish was yummy! The ribeye was marinated with Sapporo beer (hence the name) and was cooked to perfection (medium rare). It was served with a side of mashed yam (topped with corn) and green beans. The mashed yam was heavenly and rich. The steak itself was tender and juicy.

Now, I ordered two rolls (of course I did... its a sushi place!). I ordered their Poseidon Roll and their Cowboy Roll. The Poseidon roll is made up of blacken tuna and avocado and topped with spicy salmon. It was creamy and delish! The Cowboy roll is made up of spicy tuna, crunch tempura flakes, and avocado and its topped with blacken beef. Again, absolutely amazing!

Now, for my sister's birthday, the restaurant gave her fried banana with ice cream. It was cute... the restaurant prepared it to look like a dragon. The dessert hit the spot and ended the evening well. I'd have to say that my sister's birthday dinner was a success!

Okay, about the place itself. Sushi King honors their reservation so I highly recommend that you make one, especially during the peak hours/days. We went on a Thursday night and the place was not crowded; however, after dinner the place looked like it filled up some. What I love about this place is how there is a piano in the middle of the dining room and a pianist actually plays on it (hey now, sometimes the piano is just decor). It is definitely a place to impress someone on a first date or bring your significant other just because.

Gigi's Asian Bistro & Dumpling Bar

I've walked passed Gigi's many times while shopping at the Galleria. Since I've only seen the "bar" side of the restaurant, I always thought it was a narrow place for one to get a quick bite of dumplings. However, this place is deceiving! It only looks small, but it actually have a nice size dining area and two bar areas.

Even so, I was wary of going into this place because its inside the Galleria and I figured it'll be expensive and pretentious. Now, I will pay for good food, but I have a problem when it comes to expensive Chinese food! One can get super good Chinese food for a good deal- trust me! However, since it was Restaurant Week (where there's a set menu and part of the proceeds goes to charity), I decided to venture in and see if I'd recommend this place.

The decor is super pretty! In the dining area, there are cherry blossoms hanging from the ceiling. The place has a chic-lounge like feel to it. It's a nice place to take someone on a first date since it does give you the sense of privacy in the dining area. However, the service was okay. My server wasn't that great. For the prices on the menu, you'd expect fabulous service, but he was not attentive and rarely paid attention to my table.

From the Restaurant Week menu, I tried the Hot Tuna Sashimi with Citrus Soy and Sizzling Oil, which was basically seared tuna. The seared tuna tasted just like anywhere other sushi restaurant. I was not impressed with it. I also tried the Tapioca-Wrapped Crawfish Dumplings, which resembles the "shrimp dumplings" one orders during dimsum. The crawfish dumpling were not good! It had a "fishy" taste to it and I could barely finish the bite I took. Again, not impressed with their appetizers.

Luckily, the entrees were better. I had the Pan Seared Filet Mignon, which I thought was a whole piece of filet, but the beef was actually diced. This plate resembled the Vietnamese "diced beef" or "bo luc lac". The filet was tender and juicy, but the pieces were too chunky. You still need a steak knife to be able to enjoy it. However, the filet was delicious. It had a tangy and sweet taste to it and it was a bit spicy. The filet was also served with diced sweet potato and watercress. Since the watercress was not cooked, I didn't try it (its usually bitter when its not cooked), but the diced sweet potato was yummy! I think I enjoyed the sweet potato more than the filet itself.

Another entree I tried was their Thai-Style Crispy Duck Fajita. This was honestly the best thing there that evening. It was very flavorful and colorful. It looks just like a fajita plate but with sliced duck. It's almost a cross between Peking Duck and Duck Fajitas. The bread that comes with this plate is not tortillas or the bread that normally comes with Peking Duck, but its the Chinese/Taiwanese crispy bread (I am sorry if its confusing, but I don't know how else to describe it!). The duck was sliced, crispy and tasty (with the skin still attached to it). The menu claims there's pineapple in the entree and there was none. However,they did bring sliced avocado on the side and it did make the fajitas even more delicious with it! This dish also comes with three different sauces, but since it was basically Peking Duck in a different "form," I mainly used the oyster sauce. If you do go to Gigi's, this is definitely something you should try.

For dessert, I tried the Chocolate Molten Cake and the Strawberry Cream Cake. The strawberry cake was not that great. It was more cake than cream, but the cake was fluffy. You couldn't really taste the strawberries and it was served with chocolate ice cream - not the best combination. The Chocolate Molten Cake was much better than the strawberry cake. It was yummy and was paired with vanilla ice cream; however, the molten cake looked like dung (seriously) and it kinda took away its appeal at first.

Now, I did compare the regular menu to the Restaurant Week ("RW") one and Gigi's menu does not have any of the RW entrees. But, if the RW's entrees were just decent, I doubt their regular menu is amazing or fabulous. Again, the regular menu is pricy- somewhat comparable to P.F. Chang's, and I'd rather eat at P.F. Chang's than at Gigi's.

Lunch at Osaka

So for lunch the other day, I was craving for sushi and ended up at Osaka in the Montrose area. Funny thing is, I ended up getting the "Bento Japanese Lunch Box B," which includes 2 skewers of chicken with teriyaki sauce, vegetable tempura, pork gyozas, seaweed salad, and three slices of salmon sashimi (no sushi). The bento box also includes a cup of miso soup and creamy ginger salad.

The salmon sashimi was fresh and the slices were thick. The seaweed salad sits on top of sliced cucumbers, and it was also fresh and crisp! Initially when I tasted the chicken with the teriyaki sauce, the taste was not as sweet as your usual teriyaki chicken. However, after tasting the chicken on its own, you can taste that the chicken was marinaded with rice wine (something that I thought was unique). The chicken was juicy and delicious! The vegetable tempura, however, was a disappointment. I thought the vegetables were "over breaded" and all you're really eating is the breading. The plus side of it was the fact they had pumpkin tempura (my favorite!)!!

Before I forget, shrimp and vegetable tempura is usually what is served with the bento box, but I asked them to substitute the shrimp tempura for more vegetable, and I received gyozas instead. It was nice of them to be able to substitute that out since other restaurants refuse to do that for you.

The awesome thing about Osaka is their "freebies." Osaka gives you free appetizers and dessert. Usually for dinner you will get a gyoza (literally just one piece per person). During lunch, I got one piece of the Hawaiian sushi roll (which was delicious!). The Hawaiian sushi is made with crab, jalapeno, and mango, topped with white tuna and strawberry. That one bite was yummy and it made me feel healthy eating it too!

For dessert, Osaka usually serves you one scoop of ice cream (your choice of flavor: green tea, plum, mango, or ginger). I love the plum flavor! Green tea and mango is yummy too. The ginger, I heard, is also something for everyone to try.

Personally, I would like to come back here once a month for lunch. There are other better luncheon places if you're craving for the bento box (Fish is one of them, which I will blog about after I grab lunch there soon).

There are two locations of Osaka: one on Westheimer and the other on Bellaire blvd. Just so you know, I've only tried the restaurant off Westheimer and had no idea that the second location exists until recently.



Bento Japanese Lunch Box B


Hawaiian Roll (my free appetizer)